MiR-1246 Involves in the Proliferation, Apoptosis and Inflammation of Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes by Targeting Axis Inhibition Protein 2 and Glycogen Synthetase Kinase-3β via Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Background and Objective: Accumulating evidence supports that fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS) plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). miR-1246 has been reported to be up-regulated in the sera of RA patients. The purpose of the present research was to determine the potential role of miR-1246 in RA and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: miR-1246, GSK3β and AXIN2 levels were determined by RT-qPCR. By exploiting miR-1246 inhibitor, shRNA-GSK3β and shRNA-AXIN2, we detected the effects of miR-1246, GSK3β and AXIN2 on cell proliferation, apoptosis and inflammation in RA-FLSs. Bioinformatics analysis predicted the binding sites of miR-1246 to AXIN2, miR-1246 to GSK3β. Moreover, luciferase reporter assay verified the binding relationship. Results: In comparison with normal human FLSs, higher levels of miR-1246 existed in RA-FLSs. Downregulation of miR-1246 inhibited cell proliferation, inflammation and β-catenin expression, and promoted cell apoptosis. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay identified AXIN2 or GSK3β as a target gene of miR-1246. Downregulation of miR-1246 enhanced AXIN2 and GSK3β expression in RA-FLSs. Besides, co-transfection with shRNA-GSK3β or shRNA-AXIN2 partly reversed the regulatory effects of miR-1246 inhibitor in RA-FLSs. Conclusions: Collectively, our in vitro experiments proved that downregulation of miR-1246 might alleviate RA pathogenesis by targeting AXIN2 and GSK3β via Wnt/β-Catenin axis.